Growing up has its ups and downs, some wild, many downright frightening. Our kids must stay on for the ride, because you can't get from childhood to adulthood without all these lurches and loops. Parents, though, have a choice (or a semblance of one). We can get on the roller coaster with our children, riding shotgun, feeling every vertiginous stomach drop, or we can hang out by the ticket booth, waving reassuringly as they hurtle past.

One dad, however, has chosen to turn the metaphor into reality -- he built a roller coaster, with a whopping 12-foot drop right in his family's backyard. That's right, it's like this episode of "Phineas and Ferb" -- IN REAL LIFE. Footage of the young girl trying out her own personal amusement park ride was uploaded to YouTube in February, but has only recently gone viral. According to the video's description, dad built it out of pvc pipe, treated lumber, and concrete.

But, Capen jokes, this backyard roller coaster is about as "safe as any ride I’ve ever ridden on. In Mexico. On Spring Break. Near crates of fireworks." Seriously, it's almost impossible to watch the clip without holding your breath. We recommend sticking with Lisa's metaphor. Watch your kids riding the coaster called life; maybe don't try building a real one at home.